Australian Wine - Major Wine Regions

Major Wine Regions

See also: List of wine-producing regions#Australia

The information included on wine labels is strictly regulated. One aspect of this is that the label must not make any false or misleading statements about the source of the grapes. Many names (called geographic indications) are protected. These are divided into "South Eastern Australia", the state names, zones (shown in the map), regions, and subregions. The largest volume of wine is produced from grapes grown in the warm climate Murray-Darling Basin zones of Lower Murray, North Western Victoria and Big Rivers. In general, the higher-value premium wines are made from smaller and cooler-climate regions.

The South Australian wine industry is responsible for most of the production of wine in Australia. In recent years, the Tasmanian wine industry has emerged as a producer of high quality wines. In particular, the Tamar Valley has developed a reputation for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which are well suited to the cooler Tasmanian climate. Queensland is also developing a wine industry with over 100 vineyards registered in the state. Some notable wines are produced in the high-altitude Granite Belt region in the state's extreme south, production is centred on the towns of Stanthorpe and Ballandean.

Some well-known wine-producing regions include:

South Australia wine regions Southern Fleurieu Adelaide Hills Barossa Valley Clare Valley Coonawarra Eden Valley Langhorne Creek McLaren Vale Padthaway Riverland Wrattonbully

Victoria wine regions Alpine Valleys Beechworth Goulburn Valley Grampians Heathcote wine region Henty Mornington Peninsula Pyrenees Rutherglen Strathbogie Wine Region Yarra Valley King Valley

New South Wales wine regions Hunter Valley Mudgee Orange Riverina New England Southern Highlands Shoalhaven Coast

Western Australia wine regions Greater Perth Perth Hills Peel Swan Valley South Western Australia Blackwood Valley Geographe Great Southern Albany Denmark Frankland River Mount Barker Porongurup Manjimup Margaret River Pemberton